The Pledge

We, the undersigned, are licensed Ontario teachers, and have as our primary professional duty the care and well-being of our students.

Our professional and ethical standards require us to apply current best practices in educational research to create safe and supportive learning communities.

They also require of us moral action and integrity in our professional practice.

We must, therefore, reject in every way possible any attempt - by any government - to harm our students.

Recent decisions to cut essential curriculum development on Reconciliation and American Sign Language (ASL), cut funding for crucial school repairs, and cut the updated health and physical education curriculum will hurt our students.

Because of this, we pledge to uphold our professional standards by:

• Teaching best practices in health and physical education;
• Living up to the Calls to Action of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission;
• Demanding that all students have access to the best ASL curriculum possible;
• Ensuring that student learning about Reconciliation and healthy and safe sexual relationships will not be confined to one course or classroom;
• Applying the principles of equity and inclusion to uphold the human rights and dignity of all our students, and;
• Insisting that the buildings our students learn in be safe and healthy.

We will not be bullied by any governments’ attempts to roll back life-saving advances in curriculum or cutbacks to crucial education funding.

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L'engagement

Nous, les soussigné.e.s, sommes des enseignant.e.s agréé.e.s de l’Ontario, et avons comme premier devoir professionnel le soin et le bien-être de nos étudiant.e.s.

Nos normes professionnelles et éthiques exigent que nous appliquions les meilleures pratiques actuelles de la recherche en éducation pour créer des communautés d'apprentissage sûres et solidaires.

Elles exigent également de nous une action morale et l'intégrité dans notre pratique professionnelle.

Nous devons donc rejeter par tous les moyens possibles toute tentative - par quelque gouvernement que ce soit - de nuire à nos étudiant.e.s.

Les récentes décisions de réduire l'élaboration des programmes d'études essentiels sur la réconciliation et le langage des signes américain (ASL), de réduire le financement des réparations cruciales des écoles et de réduire le programme d'études mis à jour en matière de santé physique et de santé nuira à nos élèves.

C'est pourquoi nous nous engageons à respecter nos normes professionnelles :

• Enseigner les meilleures pratiques en matière d'éducation physique et de santé ;
• Répondre aux appels à l'action de la Commission Vérité et réconciliation ;
• Exiger que tous les élèves aient accès au meilleur programme d'enseignement de l'ASL possible ;
• Veiller à ce que l'apprentissage de la réconciliation et des relations sexuelles saines et sûres ne soit pas confiné à un cours ou à une salle de classe ;
• Appliquer les principes d'équité et d'inclusion pour défendre les droits de la personne et la dignité de tous nos élèves, et
• Insister pour que les bâtiments dans lesquels nos élèves apprennent soient sûrs et sains.

Nous ne nous laisserons pas intimider par les tentatives des gouvernements de faire reculer les progrès qui sauvent des vies dans les programmes d'études ou de réduire le financement essentiel de l'éducation.

The first 100 teachers to sign this pledge are:

Alison Fisher

Amanda Bond, Special Education Specialist, Equity & Inclusion lead teacher

Ann Burke

Ariadny Fragos

Ben Gross

Ben Saifer

Beth Alexander, Curriculum Leader at The Linden School, Toronto, Prime Minister's Award for Teaching Excellence 2017

Betty Lynn Orton

Brandon Stewart

Brooke Charlebois, Teacher, Peel District School Board, Past President Council of Ontario Drama and Dance Educators, Sessional Instructor, Brock University Faculty of Education

Bruce Lyne, English Specialist, Media Studies, Co-op, Computer Science, Reading
ACL Program Development and Implementation

Caitlin Hewitt-White

Carla Johnston, Assistant Curriculum Leader

Chantal Mancini, M.Ed

Chelsie Free, TVDSB Teacher, I/S Health Physical Education, Social Sciences & Family Studies

Chris Chandler

Chris Coculuzzi

Cynthia Grant, PhD Curriculum Teaching and Learning, University of Toronto/OISE

David Mandelzys

David Smith

Deidre Macpherson, Athletics Director and Senior Health and Physical Education Teacher

Derek Chica, Assistant Curriculum Leader Guidance, Special Education, Mathematics, and Science

Elizabeth Forbes

Elizabeth Lyons

Esther Uhm

Eunice O’Mahony

Gordon Nore, Teacher-Librarian Specialist, Computers in the Classroom Specialist

Hannah Glow

Hayssam Hulays

Heather Birrell

Heather Byrnes

Heather Leatham, Department Head of FSL and International Languages, YRDSB

j wallace skelton, M. Ed.

Jen Wilson

Jenny Lui Macedo

James Campbell

James Steele, President, Ontario Association of Teachers of German

Janet Csontos

Janice Patterson

Jason Kunin, ACL Languages, TDSB

Jennifer Fannin

Jessica Haber

Jessamyn Polson

Jessica Laforest

Jim Penner

Jocelyne Pasman, Reading Recovery Teacher, TDSB

Joel Brough

Joy Lachica

Julie Beattie, Seconded Course Instructor and Practicum Facilitator, Faculty of Education, York University/ TDSB

Julie Girard

Katherine Hamilton, ACL Global Studies

Kim Fry

Kris Ewing, Department Coordinator, Health and Physical Education, University of Toronto Schools

Kristen Morrison, MEd, Elementary Special Education, Developmental Education: Medically Fragile, WRDSB

Kristina Budny, Assistant Curriculum Leader, General Science/Physics/STEM

Lanna MacKay

Lara Paterson

Laura Cappadocia

Laura Groome, Program Leader of English Social Studies and Art, Scarborough Centre for Alternative Studies, TDSB

Leah Mauer

Laura McCoy

Lauren Simmons

Leela Acharya, ACL Guidance, Student Achievement & Wellbeing

Leigh Thornton

Lily Pereira, ACL English, Literacy, Library

Lorna Lane

Luis Filipe, TDSB Digital Lead Mentor, ACL of Social Science at Bloor CI, President of the Toronto History, Humanities and Social Science Subject Council

Megan McNally, ACL of Health and Physical Education, Wellness, Student Leadership and Athletics

Melissa Caparelli, BA, MSc

Meredith Lordan, Ph.D.

Michael John Foulds, Social Studies and Humanities Head, 73rd President of the Ontario Teachers’ Federation

Michael Fraschetti MA, BEd, PhD Student in Policy Studies, Ryerson University

Michelle Walker

Míchílín Ní Threasaigh, Assistant Curriculum Leader: English/Literacy/LLC/Moderns

Mitch Chuvalo

Nadeen El-Kassem

Nancy Hipwell

Nicola Townend, Former President of the Canadian Association of Teachers of German, Past President of the Ontario Association of Teachers of German

Oriane de Fenoyl

Paul Bocking

Paul Newman

Peggy Bell

Pia Berger

Rachel Rosen

Rocio McNeely

Roxanne Chee

Roopa Cheema

Rownak Chowdhury, Assistant Curriculum Leader - Special Education/Student Success

Ryan McDonnell, York Region District School Board, Modern Learning Lead

Sarah Vance

Sayaka Yajima, MHSc

Seth Bernstein

Shannon Salisbury

Shay-Lea O'Brien

Sheila Dow

Steve Ross

Susan Kasurak

Teresa Rothwell

Tracy Coseni

Viki Kotarba